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Reclaiming and Establishing Pastures and Hayfields
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In part five of our series, Where’s the Grass?, we share there are many ways to establish and improve grazing lands and hayfields. People often ask me how they should go about improving their pasturelands and hayfields. The devil, as they say, is in the details. This all depends on what class of livestock you…
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Ticks, Ticks, Ticks!
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Join Joellen Lampman, IPM Support Specialist, for an informative presentation covering the following topics at the Altamont Fair: Species of ticks in New York State Tick-borne diseases The Longhorned tick which poses a threat to livestock Personal protection strategies Tick removal This event is free (with paid Fair admission) and open to the public. No…
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Farm Ops Scholarship: Learning About Livestock Guardian Dogs
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Two farmer veterans recently attended a hands-on workshop at Empty Pockets Ranch to explore the benefits and challenges of using livestock guardian dogs (LGD) on their farms. Led by veteran spouse Lori Davis, the session provided an in-depth look at whether an LGD is the right choice for protecting livestock, covering topics such as breed…
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Dealing with the Year of the Drought
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In part 10 of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we share some of our strategies to overcome the obstacles faced in a drought year and what you need to know to keep your cattle producing. By Rich Taber As beef producers, we weather all kinds of weather and climatic calamities…
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Assessing Woodlands for Silvopasture
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Silvopasture is a land-management system that simultaneously focuses on the sustainable and integrated production of trees, forage and livestock. By Brett Chedzoy and Peter Smallidge There are examples in New York and the Northeast for the use of almost all types of livestock including poultry, small ruminants such as sheep or goats, and larger ruminants…
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Some Fencing and Grazing Considerations for Beef Cattle
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In part nine of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we share grazing experiences that has been learned about and adapted over the years. In this installment I am going to highlight some of the grazing experiences that I have learned about and adapted over the years. In the grazing…
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For the Love of the Wild: Livestock Pastures as Wildlife Habitat
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Our agricultural landscapes are habitat for wildlife, and we have a large toolbox of practices that can help us be better stewards of our land and all its inhabitants. One of these tools is adaptive grazing. Farmers, ranchers, and researchers have come to understand the functionality of ecosystems on farms is largely dependent on plant…
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Getting Started with Pasture Raised Turkeys
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This is the first in a series of articles on how farmers can include pasture raised turkeys in their operation. On our farm, Wrong Direction Farm, we raise hundreds of turkeys each year, along with several thousand pasture raised chickens. Please don’t tell the birds that I have favorites, but I enjoy raising turkeys more…
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New Report Summarizes NYS Meat Processor Needs and Perspectives
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Building a resilient local food system requires sufficient meat processing capacity. The COVID pandemic revealed that NYS did not have the ability to absorb shocks, including increased consumer meat demand, leaving farmers and consumers frustrated and meat processors overwhelmed. In Fall 2020, a team of Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, Cornell Animal Science Dept faculty, and…
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Some Considerations for Beef Cattle Calving
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In part four of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we present several management factors for your beef cow-calf herd to take into consideration. This is the fourth installment in our ongoing series “What’s Your Beef?” to assist new and beginning beef cattle producers. Previous installments can be seen in recent…
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